Texas student facing drug charges

On behalf of The Law Office of Shawn C. Brown, PC posted in drug charges on Thursday, April 26, 2018.

On April 18, a Texas high school student was taken into custody for bringing marijuana cookies to school the previous year. The incident occurred in August 2017 after a student told a teacher that another student was selling the cookies.

The teacher observed the student holding a clear bag and talking to two other students who had money. The student with the cookies tried to pass them off to another student when the teacher confronted him, but the teacher took the cookies. The teacher noticed a strong marijuana smell, and the police were called. The teacher then gave the five cookies to the police.

The student was released until the cookies could be tested, and the cookies were turned into the property room. Several days later, the cookies were sent to a lab that returned test results on March 28. Those results said the cookies contained tetrahydrocannabinol. The student was charged with possession of a controlled substance in penalty group two weighing more than 4 grams but less than 200 grams. Because the incident occurred in a drug-free zone, this charge is a first-degree felony.

A person who is facing a drug charge, even a juvenile, may suffer severe consequences. People should not assume that because of their age or because of only possessing a small amount of a drug that the penalties are not serious. Furthermore, drug charges can affect other areas of a person's life. Some career paths can be impeded by a drug record, and a person might lose access to some student loan or housing options. In a case like this one, one thing an attorney might look at as part of the defense is whether the lab conducted the tests accurately.